[Tracheoesophageal fistulae: the state of art].

The article summarizes the experience of treatment of 107 patients with tracheoesophageal fistula of nonneoplastic etiology. Etiology, diagnostic and treatment approaches were analyzed and compared, depending on the time period. The proportion of patients with combined pathology as tracheoesophageal fistula and cicatrical stenosis of the trachea has significantly increased recently. The main cause of fistulation was the jatrogenic tracheal injury during the mechanical lung ventilation. Basic diagnostic methods were endoscopy and computed tomography. The main objective of emergency remains isolation of the tracheobronchial tree from the gastrointestinal tract. Radical surgery can cure 97.8% of patients with minimal risk, including comorbidity. Conservative treatment and palliative surgery should be used only in case of the curative treatment failure or on the preparatory stage.